Technology continues to throw the TV industry into turmoil. The Next TV Summit & Expo, at the Park Central Hotel on Oct. 21, promises unique insights into the impact of new devices, new delivery systems, new consumer expectations in this OTT world.

The full-day event, part of NYC Television Week, is a future-focused expo for members of the TV, media, entertainment and technology business communities. Melissa Grego, producer, Next TV Summit & Expo LA, NY & San Francisco and consulting editor, Broadcasting & Cable, offered some more details on what to expect from this conference.

Who are the hot keynotes for Next TV New York?
I’m looking forward to the lineup. A few highlights:

Jay Samit, CEO of SeaChange International and author of the hit book Disrupt You!, will kick off the program in the morning with a session to set the tone for the day. He’ll then introduce Facebook + Instagram’s US head of industry for film and TV Jonathan Murtaugh, who will present a keynote session.

In a keynote Q&A led by Next TV Editor and Multichannel News Technology Editor Jeff Baumgartner, Roger Lynch, CEO, Sling TV and executive VP, advanced technologies for Dish, will offer valuable insight into Sling TV's launch and roll out, including a discussion of the future of the skinny bundle and how over-the-top video services are being tailored to fit cord-cutters, cord-nevers and hard-to-reach millennials.

We also have a session planned with UTA Managing Director Jay Sures, who will offer the Hollywood insider’s take on how one of the world’s biggest talent agencies in this digital, audience-first era views the changing television practice. Sures’ session will be moderated by Dan Abrams, founder and CEO, Abrams Media and chief legal affairs anchor, ABC News.

Coleman Breland, president, Turner Network Sales (TNS), Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), is at the forefront of distribution deals for some of the most popular TV content on the planet. We are planning a session in which Breland will discuss his process for evaluating the best partnerships amid the evolving landscape.

In addition, Diane Tryneski, HBO’s executive VP, technology and chief digital officer, who oversees technology for the incredibly buzzworthy HBO Go and HBO Now will join the high-level panel discussion, Who’s Mapping the Future of OTT and TV Everywhere?

What are the hottest topics of discussion?
OTT doesn’t just mean “over-the-top.” As I see it, it also stands for “opportunity to thrive.” We even titled one of our sessions as such.

Everybody working in video, media and technology has a stake in understanding how the Internet, new devices and delivery systems are shaping the industry’s future.

As Samit says, it is Day One in the OTT world. We’ll be talking about how to thrive in the days of OTT to come.

What's different about the show this year?
One of the things I’m most excited about is the introduction of our new organized networking session, Over the Top-ics.

This session involves all attendees and is slated to take place immediately following the keynote Q&A with Lynch and right before lunch.

Here we will dive deeply into the hottest discussion topics around the future of TV with guided and focused roundtable discussions inside the ballroom.

Every table in the room will have a themed discussion led by an industry figure, and every attendee will have a choice of which “Over the Top-ic” discussion to join.

Registered attendees have the opportunity to request their table topic/leader in advance on a first-come, first-served basis by emailing in their top three choices to bcevents@nbmedia.com.

What kinds of executives should be coming to this event?
Like the speaker lineup, we expect attendees to include innovators and C-level executives from across the media/advertising, distribution, studio, network, financial, marketing, technology, legal, programming, creative and production community. We’ll also surely see lots of people on their way to becoming all of the above. So if you’re reading this, you should be there!

What will be the takeaway for attendees?
In putting together our plans for Next TV New York, we’ve dedicated ourselves to creating an environment and program that encourages real dialogue and diversity of thought.

That’s so that you can come away from this day of talks, one-on-ones, roundtables and organized networking with some new ways of looking at your business as well as new ways to view the video, media and technology landscape overall.

We’re also providing new ways to connect with colleagues who can genuinely help move your business forward. The Over the Top-ics session is a great example of that.